Locking device for transom-rods.



. No. 687,43l. Patented Nov. 26,1901. E. H. KIMBALL.

LOCKING DEVICE FOR TRANSOM nous.

A umion filed Dec. 14. 1900.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD I-I. KIMBALL, OF GLENOOE, ILLINOIS.

LOCKING DEVICE FOR TRANSOM-RODS.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 687,431, dated November26, 1901 Application filed December 14, 1900. Serial No. 39,884. (Nomodel.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD H. KIMBALL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Glencoe, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Looking Devices forTransom-Rods and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for automaticallylocking rods against movement in the direction of the length thereof andis particularly adapted for use as a locking device for transom-rods.

The object of my invention is to provide such a lock which will normallyand automatically hold the rod passing therethrough in locked position,but which may be released by a movement of the rod itself in thedirection of the clamping device, so that with one hand and withpractically one movement of the hand a transom-rod, for instance, may bereleased, moved to the desired point, and aurnatically locked, whereaswith all previous devices of which I have any knowledge it has beennecessary to release the rod,with one hand and then while holding thelock out of engagement with the rod to move the rod with the other hand.

In addition to the obvious advantages attending my improvement I also bymy construction produce a lock characterized by simplicity and economyin construction as Well as efficiency and convenience in operation.

These and such other objects as may hereinafter appear are attained bythe device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whieh-- Figure 1indicates a plan view of a blank from which the base-plate of myimproved lock may be formed of one piece of metal. Fig. 2 is aperspective view of the blank shown in Fig. 1 with the side pieces bentup so as to form the base-plate for my device. Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of one of the clamping-arms. Fig.4 is a perspective view of theother clamping-arm. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view through mydevice, showing the clampingarms pushed back against the base-plate andin unlocked position. The dotted lines show the parts in normal positionwith the rod locked. Fig. 6 is a forming the sides of the base-plate.

perspective view of my complete device. Figs. 7 and 8 show modifiedforms of mylock made in one piece of spring metal.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the severalfigures of the drawings.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A indicates a sheet ofmetal pro vided with the wings a a. These wings, preferably in the formof a triangle, as indicated, are to receive the pivot upon which theclampin g-arms hereinafter referred to are mounted. These wings are bentsubstantially at right angles to the body of the plate A, thereby Theportions of the base-plate above and below the wings or side pieces a amay be provided with screw-holes, as indicated, for the passage ofscrews for the attachment of the base-plate to a door-jamb orothereonvenient place. B and G are oppositely-disposed clamping-arms,each provided with a bent-up or angular end b c, which ends areperforated for the passage of the transom or other rod to be locked.These perforations should of course be slightly larger in diameter thanthe diameter of the rod.

The ends of the arms 13 and O opposite to the perforations therein maybe provided with lugs or ears I) c, as shown, or may be otherwiseconveniently pivoted to the base-plate. In my preferred construction thepivoted ends of these arms are formed so as to interlock in such amanner that they are mounted upon a common pivot and are both actuatedby the same coil spring which is mounted on said pivot, but of coursethis specific form is not essential to the spirit of my invention.

D is a coil-spring mounted upon the pivot E, the ends of which springare so disposed with relation to the arms B and 0, respectively, thatsaid arms are normally forced away from the base-plate and toward eachother, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5.

F is a rod, such as the operating-rod of a transom-lift, which passesthrough the perforations in both of said clamping-arms.

The operation of my device is as follows: The rod having been insertedthrough the perforations in the locking-arms in a manner wellunderstood, upon releasing the rod F the spring D forces the arms B O toswing out wardly from the base-plate A and in a direction toward eachother, whereby the angular portions 6 c are caused to stand inclined atan angle toward each other, and the opposite edges of the perforationsare caused to engage or bite the rod F, thereby securely hlding the samelocked in position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5. To release therod, it

is only necessary topush it in the direction;

of the base-plate, whereupon the arms B O are simultaneously forcedbackward against the spring-pressure until they reach the; releaseposition, when, holding the rod in the plane occupied by it whensoreleased, it ma be freely moved either way in the direction of itslengthand when released will immediatelybecome again automatically locked.

To avoid" the necessity of-careasto the degreeof movement of the rodtoward the baseplate necessary to releasethe-rod, I prefer to form thearms B O in such a manner that when they reach the release position thebent corners thereof shall be in contact withrthe base-plate A,- therebyforming azstop.

.In. Figs. 7 and 8 I haveshown my lock constructed of one pieceof springmet al,'in

.which the arms-are normallyisprung into the locking position. Theoperation of the device. when :so. constructed is essentially, the

same-as when the arms are constructed sepa-- ratelyand actuated by aseparate springer springs.

It is obvious that the only object of providing two arms. is to lock.the rod against movement in either way alongthe direction of its length.If it is only desired to-lock a vertical rodagainst downwardmovement, asis often thecase with a transom-rod,,where .the'transom is merely heldin position for purposes of ventilation, it is apparent that thelocking-arm 13 used alone wilLanswer this purpose effectively, and inthat event the force of gravity tending to draw the arm 3 ina;downwardand outward direction will keep it. normally in the x positionshown, in

dotted lines in Fig.5 without the intervention ofa spring.

Of course my device issusceptibleofvarious modifications,such as usingany of the forms of base-plates well known inthis artin place of. thebase-plate shown and descjribed herein-or providing other forms ofsprings foractuating; the armsB C ormounting said armstoward-each other,and a rod passing throughsaid arms and normally clamped thereby,.allcombined substantially as described.

"2. The combinationwitha transom and its openi-ngattachments,of a base,apair of spring actuatedarms mounted upon a base, a transom-lift rodpassing throughjholes in said 'arms, said arms being: thrown toward eachother by said spring action, so as to engage and locksaid rod, and beingforcedaway from each other so as to release said rod by the movement ofthe-rod in-the direction of said base, substantially as described.

3. The combination-with a transom and its operating-rod, ofa-base-plate,a pair of hinged clamping-arms mountedon said base-plate, a coil spr-ingmounted upon the pivot upon whichsaid arms are hinged and actuatingsaidarms toward each other, a -rod passing through perforations in. saidarms and normallyrlockedthereby, substantiallyas described.

4. The combination witha transom and its operating-rod, of a base, aclamping-arm hinged .tosaid base, a coil-spring mounted upon the pivotuponwhich said arm is'hingedrand .normallyholding saidarmin lockingposition said rodpassing through a perfora= tion in saidarm and normallylocked thereby,

all so combined that said rod-may be released by forcing said arm toward,said base-plate, substantiallyas described.

ED WARD. H. KIM BALL.

Witnesses:

O.i-'R. BARNETT, SHIELDS.

